The Great Revolt

May 16, 2016
Set in 1381, Doherty’s enthralling 16th Brother Athelstan mystery finds the Dominican Order at Blackfriars in an uproar over the stabbing death of Brother Alberic, whose body has been found in a locked guest room. Fortunately, Brother Athelstan, erudite fellow friar and parish priest of St. Erconwald’s in Southwark, is on hand to investigate the baffling murder and the five that follow. Outside the friary walls, death takes a far greater toll, as the Wat Tyler–led peasant revolt against Richard II, simmering in 2015’s The Herald of Hell, boils over. Meanwhile, a subplot involving the scandalous fate of a different king, Edward II, deposed 52 years earlier, complicates the story line. Along the way to a denouement both audacious and satisfying, connoisseurs of Brother Athelstan’s world will enjoy the cerebral discussions taking place in monastic chambers suffused with incense and candle smoke, juxtaposed with the chaotic filthy roar of 14th-century London. Agent: David Headley, David Headley Literary Agency (U.K.).

June 1, 2016
After doing an admirable job of prepping for the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 in the previous few entries of this series, including The Herald of Hell (2016), Doherty finally brings revolution to its stirring climax in the streets of medieval London. Of course, since this is a Brother Athelstan whodunit, the historical events serve as the background and setting for another intriguing mystery. When young Richard II seeks beatification for his murdered grandfather, Edward II, one of the priests sent to investigate the request is stabbed to death. As London rages, Brother Athelstan reaches back in time to solve a murder rooted firmly in the royal family's often tortured past. Though the revolt itself takes a backseat to the crime, it nevertheless provides a tense backdrop for Athelstan, who is torn between his desire to protect his parish flock and his sworn duty to king and crown.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)